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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 11h

Historical fiction writers often hear that the World War II fiction market is saturated. Yet Peter Mann has carved out his own niche in the era:

Jumping on the trampoline of history: World Pacific by Peter Mann - Historical Novel Society

BY TRISH MACENULTY Peter Mann, whose new novel, World Pacific, (Harper, 2025) follows a highly successful debut in The Torqued Man, (HarperCollins, 2022) did not set out with a particular theme or territory...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 20h

'An engrossing tale of a heartfelt love born during slavery, and their descendants' stories. Superb and unforgettable.'
#EditorsChoice: Zeal by Morgan Jerkins, review by Sarah Johnson

Zeal - Historical Novel Society

Zeal is an engrossing tale of a heartfelt love born during slavery, and how the couple’s descendants have the potential to embody their forebears’ greatest dreams—if they can get past some messy...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 1d

Researching sports from the past? This list of historical sport websites may be just the ticket:

Historical Sport Resources for Historical Fiction Writers - Historical Novel Society

Researching sports from the past? This list of websites providing historical sport resources may be your winning ticket!

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 1d

Late Bloomer: Karen Cushman’s historical fiction for children and young adults:

Late Bloomer: Karen Cushman's Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults - Historical Novel Society

WRITTEN BY TRACY BARRETT Known for her portrayals of spunky girls (and one boy) from the past who forge their own paths in defiance of convention, Karen Cushman came late to writing historical fiction....

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 2d

Debut novelists Brigitte Dale, Martha Jean Johnson, Sarah Landenwich, and Emma Pei Yin introduce readers to mysterious and intriguing characters and moments in history:

New Voices: Brigitte Dale, Martha Jean Johnson, Sarah Landenwich & Emma Pei Yin - Historical Novel Society

WRITTEN BY MYFANWY COOK Debut novelists Brigitte Dale, Martha Jean Johnson, Sarah Landenwich, and Emma Pei Yin introduce readers to mysterious and intriguing characters and moments in history. Brigitte...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 2d

'Set during the thirty years of French economic growth following WWII. Witty, hard-boiled and beautifully crafted.'
#EditorsChoice: The Silence and the Rage by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Frank Wynne (trans.), review by Edward James

The Silence and the Rage - Historical Novel Society

The French call this type of book a roman fleuve, likening it to a great river rolling majestically to the sea. I prefer to think of it as a delta, which is much more interesting, flowing through a maze...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 3d

In Jerusalem, archaeologists have uncovered a rare gold coin dating back to the reign of Ptolemy III (246–221 B.C.). This coin, depicting Queen Berenice II of Egypt, is one of only 17 known examples:

2,200-year-old gold coin depicting ancient Egyptian queen discovered in Jerusalem

Archaeologists in Jerusalem have discovered a 2,270-year-old gold coin with Queen Berenice II of Egypt and the inscription "of the Queen," suggesting she was a powerful and influential monarch.

www.livescience.com

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 4d

'Tracing the struggles of enslaved and indentured people in Virginia at the turn of the 18th century. Moving, gorgeous and vivid.'
#EditorsChoice: This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry, review by Kristen McDermott

This Here Is Love - Historical Novel Society

Perry, an award-winning author, has created an unforgettable set of characters in a multi-point of view story tracing the lives and struggles of enslaved and indentured people in the Virginia colony at...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 5d

Rare wampum beads discovered at 17th-century colony in Newfoundland via @LiveScience

Rare wampum beads discovered at 17th-century colony in Newfoundland

Archaeologists in Newfoundland have discovered seven tiny beads known as wampum that are made from seashells. They may be the first ever found in the province.

www.livescience.com

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 5d

'Spellbinding gothic horror set in a New England college in 1908, 1934 and 1998. Dramatic, gripping and intelligent.'
#EditorsChoice: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, review by Judith Starkston

The Bewitching - Historical Novel Society

In spellbinding gothic horror, The Bewitching tells three women’s stories: Minerva at a New England college in 1998, Virginia at the same college in 1934, and Alba in rural Mexico in 1908. Minerva had...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 6d

Shedding light on 17th Century Quakers:

The Glovemaker's Daughter by Leah Fleming Sheds Light on 17th-Century Quakers - Historical Novel Society

Leah Fleming’s novel The Glovemaker’s Daughter plays with the dual-time and time-slip narrative devices. It opens with a ghostly apparition of a woman in 17th-century dress, and soon a journal is...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 6d

Thievery and Resistance - jewel thieves in the 1940s:

Thievery and Resistance: The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel - Historical Novel Society

BY CYNTHIA ANDERSON Kristin Harmel’s new novel is a sweeping historical drama about two jewel thieves, a diamond bracelet that disappears in the 1940s and the search for answers to a decades-old murder....

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 7d

18th and 19th century food in the UK, Australia and New Zealand - key research resources:

18th and 19th century foodways in the UK, Australia and New Zealand - Historical Novel Society

BY B.J. SEDLOCK I did a related article on 18th-19th century foodways in the U.S. and Canada in the past and am fulfilling my promise, made then, to cover foodways in the U.K. and Australia/New…

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 7d

'1942, hunter and prey roles play out on, and below, the Western Atlantic Ocean. Naval historical fiction doesn’t get much better.'
#EditorsChoice: Lone Wolf by Philip K. Allan, review by Thomas J. Howley

Lone Wolf (The Wolves WW2 Series) - Historical Novel Society

At the beginning of 1942, the United States is logistically unprepared to participate in another world war. In an example reflecting the themes of Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror, its industrial...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 8d

History and film: The devil you might know - Sinners:

History & Film | The Devil You Might Know: Sinners - Historical Novel Society

WRITTEN BY MICHELLE MCGILL-VARGAS I love horror movies, especially the classic Hammer or Universal horror films featuring the likes of Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi. My Saturday evenings are usually...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 8d

'The story of trans man Bertie in 1930s Weimar Germany, WWII and the aftermath. Beautiful, sobering and interesting.'
#EditorsChoice: The Lilac People by Milo Todd, review by Sarah Taylor

The Lilac People - Historical Novel Society

Bertie, a trans man, and his girlfriend Sophie have survived the Second World War by hiding in plain sight in rural Germany. When a young trans man, Karl, dressed in a concentration camp prisoners’...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 9d

🦆🐰🦅 '...“the Duck quacketh” (anas tetrinnit), “the Hare squeaketh” (lapus vagit), and “the Crow crieth” (cornix cornicatur)." '

Exploring an influential children's picture book from the 17th century: publicdomainreview.org/essay/in-the...

In the Image of God: John Comenius and the First Children’s Picture Book

In the mid 17th-century John Comenius published what many consider to be the first picture book dedicated to the education of young children, Orbis Sensualium Pictus - or The World of Things Obvious…

publicdomainreview.org

Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 9d

'Dual period novel of 1950s Old Hollywood and modern day California. Snappy and compelling.'
#EditorsChoice: The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor, review by Caroline D. Wilson

The One and Only Vivian Stone - Historical Novel Society

The One and Only Vivian Stone is a dual-period novel which begins in modern-day California with Margot DuBois as she deals with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Ginger. As she packs and prepares…

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 10d

'Tales of chaotic migration from 8th, 17th and 20th centuries. Beautiful, thought-provoking, literary writing.'
#EditorsChoice: The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien, review by Ann Chamberlin

The Book of Records - Historical Novel Society

In a near-future dystopia, seven-year-old Lina and her father, Wui Shin, seek refuge from an ecological/technological disaster in the limbo of a way station called The Sea somewhere near Hong Kong. The...

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Historical Novel Society @histnovsoc.bsky.social · 11d

Under Louis XIV, Versailles became both the seat of government and a choreographed stage for royal authority. Thousands of nobles, officials, and servants lived within the palace walls, where status was measured not in wealth but in access to the king.